The Sky's the Limit

A local soccer organization gives aspiring female players a chance to rub elbow pads with the big-leaguers

By: Kait Smith

With the collapse of the Women’s United Soccer Association in 2003, young girls’ dreams of one day playing on par with Olympians like Mia Hamm and Brandi Chastain seemed to fall by the wayside. Now, with the creation last March of Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS) — a new top-level women’s soccer league — those dreams are closer to reality, even for girls here in the Hudson Valley.

Based in Newburgh, the Quickstrike FC is a soccer organization that provides boys and girls up to age 19 with training, development and a high level of competition. Players on Quickstrike’s women’s team, the Lady Blues, now have the opportunity to advance through the ranks to play for Sky Blue FC, Quickstrike’s professional level affiliate in the WPS league. Part of the Northeast division of the United Soccer League, the Lady Blues are undefeated and in first place as we go to press.

Among those first-place players are several women from the Hudson Valley, including the Taylor sisters – Brittany, Janelle, and Meghan – from Campbell Hall in Orange County. Others hail from around the U.S., with one player calling Sweden home. Despite the differences in hometown, the women all come together to play their home games right at the Newburgh Free Academy.

“The Quickstrike group exemplifies everything we want from a soccer organization in terms of personnel, resources, facilities and fan base,” says Ian Sawyers, head coach of the Sky Blue team. Nevertheless, Lady Blue’s head coach Jesse Kolmel says players of all ages have the chance to develop with the program.

“Quickstrike will not only give competitive opportunities to the top female soccer players in the region, but those experiences will be passed down to players at all ages throughout the Hudson Valley,” says Kolmel.